News for GPS users

O

Oatka

New member
Not gun-related, but sufficiently interesting, IMHO.

The suspicion level is so high with this administration is that you automatically look for something that will be detrimental to the U.S., but so far I can't think of anything, including making the Chinese missles more accurate. ;)

They can still shut down a region at will, similar to what evidently happened in Miami when it is claimed that both land-line and cell phones were inoperative during the Elian raid. Take that last with a grain of salt.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/library/PressReleases.cgi?date=0&briefing=0

May 1, 2000
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT REGARDING THE UNITED STATES? DECISION TO STOP DEGRADING GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM ACCURACY

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________
For Immediate Release May 1, 2000


STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT REGARDING
THE UNITED STATES? DECISION TO STOP DEGRADING
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM ACCURACY


Today, I am pleased to announce that the United States will stop the
intentional degradation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) signals
available to the public beginning at midnight tonight. We call this
degradation feature Selective Availability (SA). This will mean that
civilian users of GPS will be able to pinpoint locations up to ten times
more accurately than they do now. GPS is a dual-use, satellite-based
system that provides accurate location and timing data to users worldwide.
My March 1996 Presidential Decision Directive included in the goals for GPS
to: ?encourage acceptance and integration of GPS into peaceful civil,
commercial and scientific applications worldwide; and to encourage private
sector investment in and use of U.S. GPS technologies and services.? To
meet these goals, I committed the U.S. to discontinuing the use of SA by
2006 with an annual assessment of its continued use beginning this year.

The decision to discontinue SA is the latest measure in an on-going effort
to make GPS more responsive to civil and commercial users worldwide. Last
year, Vice President Gore announced our plans to modernize GPS by adding
two new civilian signals to enhance the civil and commercial service. This
initiative is on-track and the budget further advances modernization by
incorporating some of the new features on up to 18 additional satellites
that are already awaiting launch or are in production. We will continue to
provide all of these capabilities to worldwide users free of charge.

My decision to discontinue SA was based upon a recommendation by the
Secretary of Defense in coordination with the Departments of State,
Transportation, Commerce, the Director of Central Intelligence, and other
Executive Branch Departments and Agencies. They realized that worldwide
transportation safety, scientific, and commercial interests could best be
served by discontinuation of SA. Along with our commitment to enhance GPS
for peaceful applications, my administration is committed to preserving
fully the military utility of GPS. The decision to discontinue SA is
coupled with our continuing efforts to upgrade the military utility of our
systems that use GPS, and is supported by threat assessments which conclude
that setting SA to zero at this time would have minimal impact on national
security. Additionally, we have demonstrated the capability to selectively
deny GPS signals on a regional basis when our national security is
threatened. This regional approach to denying navigation services is
consistent with the 1996 plan to discontinue the degradation of civil and
commercial GPS service globally through the SA technique.

Originally developed by the Department of Defense as a military system, GPS
has become a global utility. It benefits users around the world in many
different applications, including air, road, marine, and rail navigation,
telecommunications, emergency response, oil exploration, mining, and many
more. Civilian users will realize a dramatic improvement in GPS accuracy
with the discontinuation of SA. For example, emergency teams responding to
a cry for help can now determine what side of the highway they must respond
to, thereby saving precious minutes. This increase in accuracy will allow
new GPS applications to emerge and continue to enhance the lives of people
around the world.
 
When in doubt, cherchez le $!

The original concept of two-level GPS was so that the AF's smart bombs or cruise missiles would hit the exact chimney, for example, but the GPSs available to others would not allow such accuracy. (Duh?)

"No intelligent reason for it; it's just our policy."

Then, with the advent of the desire to use GPS in navigation for airplanes, the push came to get rid of the "degraded" concept. Hand-held GPS units became popular in general aviation, since even the degraded accuracy was better than anything else. But, most GA pilots don't need them to break out of thick clouds exactly in line with a runway.

With GPS moving to commercial airlines, with the big bucks involved, the political pressure is greater than the military's non-sensical ideas about "the evils of accuracy" on the part of those not in the US forces...

Regards, Art
 
So far as I know, it will just work better. They have had some sort of scrambling in the signals, to make them "fuzzy" unless you have the de-scramble built into your unit.

No more scrambled signals.

Art
 
Yeah, the gov't should have allowed military-quality GPS to the public years ago, so it's about time - one of the very few good things I can point to about Clinton. However, I still think this should be done by Congress, not an executive order - more trampling on separation of powers.
 
I bought my GPS from the military at DRMO. It was an old Motorola model, that was missing the spring that held the batteries in it. While very accurate, it is a battery hog. Takes eight AA batteries, and only lasts about 4 hours. It's also S-L-O-W. Takes about 10 minutes to get a lock on 3 satelites. I may have to go out and purchase a newer model with all the gizmos, and half the weight. GPS is handy for more than just navigation. You can check your speedometer's accuracy on your car, set your clocks correctly, and other stuff. Are there any suggestions out there for a replacement for my old POS?
 
I’ve been using a Garmin StreetPilot, with plug-in “Metro-guides”, ever since this unit was available. This is one great GPS unit although price is a little steep. I have used this unit extensively and I am very happy with its performance and many features.

I usually have it hardwired into my vehicle, with an external antenna, for trips although it works well as a hand-held also. It can acquire three birds in about 25 seconds to indicate location. In the vehicle, using the external antenna, it usually stays locked on to 10 or 12 satellites. The external antenna is mounted inside the vehicle on the dash and close to the windshield. If I mount the antenna on the roof, I can get another one or two birds.

Funny thing though, I can be sitting some ten feet inside my living room with the patio sliding glass door halfway open and the unit will acquire four or five birds fairly rapidly. This door has a narrow southern low horizon view and I am amazed that it is able to even lock-on to anything at all.

I powered it up last night, on my balcony, and did not notice any difference in signal accuracy. After reading this thread, I will do some additional testing this evening to see what happens.

Skyhawk
 
I've been looking at a Magellan, not because I need one, just because I'm a gadget freak. However, King William's slimy pawprints on the whole GPS issue make me *very* nervous. Call me paranoid.
 
I can't believe that Clinton finally did something that doesn't piss me off. I must not understand what he is really up to. ;)

------------------
Get your 1911s and AR15s while you still can!
 
[sarcasm]
The Irish have GPS? Good Lord, sir! Does the Home Office know about this?! Why, those insane IRA terrorists must be simply thrilled about this US-sponsored improvement of their tactical abilities!
[/sarcasm]
 
I'm gonna have to try it tonight!

Has anybody ever tried their GPS unit during a commercial jet flight? I have one for my laptop and I decided to try and get some signals by sticking the receiver by the window. It sure took long enough to get 4 sattelites, but I finally got a 3D fix. Kinda strange to see the GPS read the speed at 450+MpH. :)
 
Yup. Works good. I know quite a few pilots, commercial and otherwise, who use handheld GPS units for navigation.

I use mine (my Dads, actually) for backcountry mountain biking and hiking. They're great fun.

Later,
Chris

------------------
"T.V. what do I see, tell me who to believe, what's the use of autonomy when a button does it all..."

Incubus, Idiot Box
 
Go with the Garmin units, they were recommended to me by DeLorme Mapping. I like the GPS III+ but WalMart has the GPS III on closeout for $300. The only difference is that the III+ allows you do download the deatailed maps off the PC and has hwy exit info as part of the built in maps.
 
During the Gulf War, the military turned off Selective Availability because there was a shortage of military units for personnel in the field. By turning it off, military people could use their civilian models.

I suspect that this latest turn off may well have more to do with similar military needs than with any stated commercial benefit. Yet, in true Clinton fashion, he hypes the turn off as some big favor to us.

Regarding which one to buy, I recommend the Garmin products. The entry-level eTrex is all you need to take advantage of the GPS system if your needs are camping, hiking, hunting, etc. If you need more memory, one of the GPS 12 models is the choice. Models such as the E-map and GPS III+ are suitable for highway use.

BTW, GPS does not replace map and compass. You still need to know how to use these items. GPS will supplement them nicely and give you accurate bearings in the field.

Finally, for you paranoid-types out there (which includes me), if you don't want to be found, don't turn on your GPS unit.

------------------
Thomas Hobbes: "The reason I help the man is that by doing so I end my discomfort at seeing his discomfort."
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Go with the Garmin units, they were recommended to me by DeLorme Mapping. I like the GPS III+ but WalMart has the GPS III on closeout for $300.[/quote]If you're going to use it with a laptop with DeLorme software, and don't need the stand-alone capability at all, the Garmin GPS35PC looks like a good match. It's under $200.

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Protect your Right to Keep and Bear Arms!
 
Yep. I have the Delorme Earthmate for my laptop. The GPS receiver interfaces with Delorme maps. For about $150, it makes a great toy for a gadget freak like me. It's great for road trips into unknown territory.
 
Trevor:
SA was turned off in the gulf because the SLGR, or trimble pack GPS. That were procured in the thousands and rushed to the troops in the field couldn't take cyrpto to decode the P(y) code. Civilian sets at the time were not commonly avialable and were very expensive.

With the good news about SA being turned off, you should do some research on counter GPS technology. One is a jammer that cost less than 5000 dollars is produced by the FSU is a little larger than a package of cigarettes and can jam out all GPS signals in a 200 Km area.
 
Good news and about time.
Selective availibity, which means that the military sets signals for the civilian mode out of phase purposely on a random basis, has made little sense because it can be unscambled by any serious enemy. This is called differential GPS.
What they do is have their own reciever set at a known surveyed and fixed piont. Since the enemy knows where this point actually is, he knows how far off the U.S. transmissions actually are.
After achieving this, they can have their own units in the field work through this substation or download data into their own computers and send the whole works off to a higher command to be corrected. So the diferential analysis can be instantanious or delayed, at your pleasure.
The whole set up to do things like this can be had commercially for under $10,000 today, which isn't much for a serious enemy. Peanuts, actually.
i would not be surprised at all if it were found the other governments have long since cracked the secret mility codes either. I cannot imagin foriegn intelligence agencies ever resting until they had achieved this. We civilians are probably the only ones sitting in the dark on this.
 
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